Retiring JROTC instructors teach students how to be citizens

Friday

Jun 13, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Two U.S. Army servicemen who entered the education field in the 1990s will leave an everlasting impact that will be felt for years.

BY DENEESHA EDWARDSThe Dispatch

Two U.S. Army servicemen who entered the education field in the 1990s will leave an everlasting impact that will be felt for years.Lt. Col. Ivan Padial of Lexington Senior High School and Sgt. 1st Class Bob Wilgus of Thomasville High School are both retiring as the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps senior Army instructors with a total of more than 100 years in uniform."I loved it," Padial, 69, said. "When I turned 50, I became a teacher. I'm turning 70, and the Lord is going to provide me to do something else. I just asked the Lord to keep a clear mind so I can serve him. What I enjoyed the most is seeing (students) grow and be successful. Seeing them succeed is what this is all about. Our students have done well.""It's been great," Wilgus, 62, said. "I have 21 years of good memories to look back on. Combine that with the 22 years I had in the Army. I have a lifetime of memories. I tell the kids I've been working since 16. As of July 3 there are no more kids. It didn't happen overnight. It took years of hard work to get where I am now."The JROTC program educates and trains students in citizenship and life skills, promotes community service and instills responsibility, character and self-discipline through education. Tracing the journeyPadial, a native of Puerto Rico, served in the National Guard from 1964 to 1968. He then served in the U.S. Army for 28 years on duty in Kansas, Maryland, Virginia, Vietnam, Panama, Germany, El Salvador, Honduras and Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. After retiring and leaving Fort Bragg, he first worked as a life insurance salesman before coming to Lexington in 1995. The LSHS program was already a year in the making founded by senior instructor Sgt. 1st Class Everett Dumas and another serviceman.LSHS has about 130 cadets participating. Padial explained switching careers was very challenging."When you're in the Army you have a lot of power as an officer," he said. "When you come to a JROTC program the only power we have is persuasion. That's how we can help kids succeed. We need to show them they can be self-confident. Everything they get from life they will have to learn. We try to teach them Army values — loyalty, integrity, and your word is your bond."Padial and his wife, Alba, plan to continue their jail ministry with the extra time Padial has from retirement. He will be able to visit and preach with the Hispanic population more. He's also anxious to spend time with his wife. They have four children and six grandchildren.Padial said he's not going anywhere. He plans on still being around the community and possibly volunteer in the city school system. He will miss most the interaction with the cadets."Sometimes the only hug our kids get is the one we give. We give love," Padial said. "The kids know that when they come to JROTC it's like a family. We all support each other. We love them. They can feel the love. It's not just talk."Wilgus, a New York native, joined the Army in 1971 and then came to Thomasville in 1993 after retiring. He served in a variety of places such as Texas, Alabama, Georgia, South Vietnam, South Korea and South Central America. Wilgus along with another serviceman started the program at Thomasville High. At that time there were 75 students. This school year 197 students participated. A handful of students are from Ledford and East Davidson high schools. Wilgus also gave credit to THS senior Army instructor Lt. Col. Robert "Bob" Merkel Jr. for growing the program, too, once he arrived five years ago."He has a great leadership style," Wilgus said about Merkel. "The kids like him. They respect him. I know I'm leaving the JROTC program in good hands. I look forward to seeing the program grow."The next phase for Wilgus is spending time with his wife, Kim, whom he meet while on duty in South Korea in the 1970s. She also works for Thomasville City Schools. They have been married for 38 years. He plans to eventually sell his home in Thomasville and move to Georgia with his in-laws, whom he brought to the United States in 1991.He said this year's graduation June 7 was his last ceremony as an employee. Wilgus plans on still being involved in the community for a few years until he moves. He is now the commander of American Legion Post 41 in Thomasville."This time every year I get to see my cadets walk across the stage. They get their diploma and go on to their next phase, their future, whatever that may be. I will miss each and every one of them, their stories and their problems," he said."This is a great place to work. Mr. (Deboy) Beamon (THS principal), all the other administrators and the entire faculty are great. I've enjoyed being part of the program here. Thomasville City Schools is a great place to be. I can hold my held up high and say I'm from Thomasville. I'm a Bulldog."Creating better citizensBoth men explain that with JROTC there are no military obligations. The main objective is to teach citizenship and self-discipline. Another focus is to show students how to be leaders through community service and other skills developed in the program."They're learning things that will help them in life," Wilgus added. "We've become a family here. We have great kids here in Thomasville."Padial said, "It's a citizenship program. The mission is not to go get them in the Army, but prepare them to be better citizens. We don't push the military life. We want to push them to graduate from high school with a plan — a two-year or four-year degree."A small handful of the students do decide to take the military route. Padial and Wilgus said it feels good to hear from former students who are now serving their country. They posted pictures of the servicemen and women from the different branches in their offices."I appreciate what they're doing," Wilgus said. "The military is not for everybody."Cadets have several community service learning projects and afterschool activities such as air rifle competitions, presentations of colors around town and raider competitions, which involve mental and physical training events. They volunteer, participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program and even provide food for families during the holidays.Teaching bond developsMerkel and Dumas expressed gratitude toward their work partners. "He's a friend that's been better than a brother," Dumas said about Padial. "We developed a chemistry. We share each other's family. He's a nice person to work with. He's a religious man. He keeps me grounded. It's been a pleasure."We've seen so many success stories, from homeless to success stories. A great majority come back to visit. The kids are going to miss him. He's always been up for the challenge. He's a good man."Lt. Col. Paul Brown will take Padial's position. Padial noted Brown comes from Glenn High School in Kernersville and has been teaching JROTC for 11 years. He said Brown used to bring cadets to town for the air rifle competitions."He's a great person," Padial said. "It's always nice knowing you're leaving your life's work to someone who knows how to take care of it and appreciate it."Succeeding Wilgus is Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Dawson, who is an Army retiree out of Georgia. Merkel praised Wilgus for all of his service."He's awesome," Merkel said. "He's an excellent teacher and mentor for our kids. He lives the soldier's values. He's a valuable personal friend. I'm lucky. We spend more time together than we do with our wives."On a professional level I can't even count how many kids he has touched and positively influenced. So many kids have been successful because of him. As we like to say in the Army, Sgt. Dawson has some big boots to fill."Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com. Follow Deneesha on Twitter: @LexDispatchDE

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